To think only 3 of the 15 migrant children look under 18

[AmyMiller]

www.google.co.uk/amp/www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3843900/amp/First-migrant-children-arrive-UK-Calais-French-prepare-raze-Jungle-camp-ground.html?client=safari

This is so ridiculous, many of them look around 25.

There is no way they are under 18. Some of them possibly, with the benefit of the doubt.

Haven't these ones been chosen as they already have family here? One of the boys interviewed was coming to stay with his brother who came here unaccompanied when he was 14.

I work in a college in the North West. The local authorities around us take unaccompanied asylum seekers. Most are young males.

The stories that these young people tell are harrowing, sent from their villages by their mothers because fathers have been killed and their sons are left with the choice of fighting or being killed. Their journeys over Europe are also filled with horrific stories of their treatment. Unscrupulous people transporting them in vans crammed full with shit, piss and vomit over them. And finallythey end up in Calais.

In my professional opinion the young men want to learn (they come to college) they want to work, they are thankful of the opportunity out country gives them. They don't know what has happened to their mothers and younger siblings. Their stories will,stay with me forever.

I know one thing, if this was my son - I would do the same as those families, send my son for a better life because here he will be killed.

This is the reality, we work with it every day. And yes, a lot of them do ,ooh older - so what, they deserve a chance.

I've a 16 yr old and a 17 yr old, teen boy.6 foot 3 .tash and hairy chin.....however they look 16 and 17... these guys are clearly....clearly adults

I think the migrants all had families here. So would have people to look after them.
I really don't care about their age. I'm happy they are safe.

A very cynical view would be that this group has been carefully selected in order to create those DM headlines.

They were safe way back that way.

All these threads show is how wafer thin women's rights are.

People care about women and girls until there's any kind of crisis, then it is literally every man for himself.

Where are the girls? And yes some of these "children" are clearly older and I know a lot of Asian families.

On hearing this news earlier, i thought 'I wonder what MN will say'.

What have women's rights got to do with migrant young people entering the UK?

....wow. They are someone's kids. They have been living in horrendous conditions, been through major trauma most likely.....and your outrage is that they are in your opinion a bit older than they said.
Do you think this bunch of teens is going to form and army and take over the country?
MSM at its best yet again. Let's have us all fearful of everything and distract us from the real culprits who have caused this refugee crisis.

I don't think that people are criticizing the refugees personal choices to lie about their ages, more people are just pointing out the bloody obvious, and that should be allowed! They are clearly not children

abbismy. The refugees are assessed on arrival and sent to different parts of the county where there availability. My DH and staff do not make age assessments. The refugees have temporary permission to stay until a full official assessment which is currently taking up 18 months due to the 2015 influx. During those 18 months they will have access to schools, further education, healthcare, legal services etc. And once they turn 18 they get housed in a room/flat and looked after in a 'hands off' way. There is a great incentive to get under age status.

That young man with the receding hairline has been denied permission to stay and was judged to be 19!

I cant believe people are seriously trying to kid themselves that these are teenage boys. Regardless of your opinions about syria and the refugee crisis noone can surely look at them and truly believe they are the age they claim to be

Migrant young men entering the UK. I'm not seeing any females in that group.

Ah right
The op is a namechanger
Or a newbie

maybe the girls - unlike this FIRST 15 - have no family to take them in unlike this first 15

Yeah, that will be it.

Queen, honestly, many cultures do not have the thing about exact ages that we have in the west. When you are ready to do something you do it, so if you can't remember whether one of your five or six children is seven or eight you choose which seems most appropriate. And it might not even be the parent registering the child, could be an uncle, or grandad. In some parts of west Africa you used to decide if a child was ready for school by seeing if it could reach an arm over its head and touch its ear. If it can school, if not stay at home. This works too, as the proportions of children's bodies changes so much between the ages of about 4 and 6.

Presumably young women are less likely to be travelling alone than young men.

However, I dare say they have been rigorously checked because of the scrutiny

I would be intrested to know what the checks are.

KC sorry but most of ours are aged assessed within 4 weeks if their is any doubt on their age - as children in the care of the local authority they are entitled to education

Many don't know their age - they come from places where birthdays aren't celebrated and aged not marked that way - they may be told by family 'you are 14' before being shoved in the back of a lorry

Many of our kids have been exploited, abused and dumped - it's not a picnic - especially for a child

A rough estimate of age can be given by x-raying the skeleton. Not related to bone density though, but fusion of bones at the growth plates.

but are they making real checks or just headlines to pacify people who say we should do something?